Phoenix Rising
by SorceressKyrsty
Summary: Shortly after being dragged from Hell by the angel Castiel, Dean finds two boys were not as fictional as he thought. Now the world rules are blending and there's no telling what the consequences may be, especially when it's Satan's kids they're dealing with.
1. Parallels

**Long ****Short Disclaimer**

-Rated T for swearing, violence, probably gore descriptions.

-Story will deviate the Supernatural plotline and possibly Blue Exorcist's plotline about mid-season 4. In saying that, _this will cover both canon Supernatural and Blue Exorcist episodes/chapters, _just with the additional characters/information.

* * *

I : Parallels

"I think you'll find it interesting."

"I think you're going to have to do better than that to convince me, Sir Pheles" was the cold retort, as he shoved the boxed DVDs into the taller man with a grumpy look.

He, however, merely laughed, and pushed it back toward the (much) younger exorcist. "Demon's honour" he said smugly, tapping his nose. "You'll definitely find it interesting. You might want to watch it with your brother, as well. In fact I highly recommend it— it's one of those stories that promotes…ah…sibling bonding."

"It doesn't look like it" Yukio grouched, glancing at the gritty, grimdark box. "And I prefer not to watch media that involves what I do for a living, besides."

A title like _Supernatural _couldn't mean anything else.

"Alright, I have a proposition then. If you watch this show, I'll fix the heating and cooling in your dormitory. How does that sound?"

"…It makes me a lot more wary of whatever this is about…" Yukio murmured, before sighing. "Fine. I'll watch this, and you install a thermostat. That _works. And reaches our dorm."_

"You say it like I'm the type of man who'd only install it on the first floor. I'm hurt" Mephisto chimed, before flashing a shark-like grin. "Agreed, Professor Okumura. Do tell me if you like it— the dream-based episode in season 3 is a particular favourite of mine."

He smirked again, turning on his heel and walking off— leaving Yukio feeling confused and rather anxious, because for some reason, that comment felt loaded.

Like it was somehow relevant in a way he wasn't yet aware of.

…

"I've heard my classmates talking about this!" was Rin's reaction to seeing the set. "I actually kinda freaked out at one point 'cause they mentioned demons. Godaiin and I nearly jumped outta our skins, but as it turns out they were talking about this show."

"I knew it" Yukio muttered, breathing out his nose. "Pheles is definitely plotting something with this."

Especially when the demon had gone out of his way to install a fairly large TV and DVD player in one of the unoccupied rooms, complete with a comfortable couch, blankets, and a popcorn maker. Like he was enticing them.

"Well, we just have to get through it, then next year summer won't be a problem at all, right?" said Rin, undeniably excited about the prospect. "Although…is it a horror, or an action show? The cover looks kinda creepy…"

"I'd say it's a mix if it involves demons in some way" Yukio mused. "Do you have homework?"

"No."

"Are you saying 'no' because you want to watch this show?"

"No."

"So you'll go to bed early and not finish it?"

"No-gh, wait— damn it four-eyes."

…

Neither Okumura was particularly fazed by horror at this point, but both had grabbed a blanket out of past experiences and habit. Rin had popcorn, but Yukio had denied the offer as Rin munched away.

As the intro played, Yukio became more and more sure this was a giant, very long prank they would have to see through to the end, and was going to make him (if not Rin) very, very miserable in one way or another.

"I think Mephisto's fuckin' with us."

"I agree."

The lure of a thermostat was too good to resist, though, so they continued through, and gradually became a little more relaxed— though the end of the episode murdered that entirely.

They looked at each other silently, swallowing, wordlessly questioning if the entire series was going to be like this, and wondering if a thermostat was actually worth it.

…

In the end, they did sit through it. Rin seemed a little more at ease— he seemed to enjoy the interaction between the Winchesters, and immediately drew parallels between himself and Dean and Yukio and Sam, which Yukio disagreed to without saying exactly why.

There were times Yukio would have to pause and leave the room for a moment, often during a particularly harrowing monster scene. While he was ok with the memories most of the time, seeing similar scenarios to things he'd lived and barely survived was triggering waves of panic and stress he had to breathe through. And as time went on and these moments became a little more frequent, the reasoning behind Yukio's disagreement on the parallels became more clear, especially once the incidents with Sam started.

While Yukio was booksmart, polite and tall, the way he had lived his life, what he'd been through, what he'd seen…it was closer to Dean. Dean, the normal, powerless sibling, struggling to understand what was happening to his brother while trying to do as he'd been trained and taught to do— protect him.

After the first episode of season 2 they took a break, because Rin had ended up distraught and Yukio wasn't far behind.

Honestly, they wanted to quit. Not because it wasn't a good show— it was an excellent show, in fact— but it just hit too close to home too often. There had been episodes that would have Yukio close to having a panic attack (although he never said so.)

So they took a break.

* * *

For about a week after they stopped watching, Yukio had vivid nightmares about it, where he was in Dean's shoes as his family was torn apart around him.

He'd wake up in cold sweat, hugging himself, and brokenly— stupidly, actually— remembering that for the first episode of season 2, he hadn't been able to relate to Dean, that for all their parallels they weren't always the same.

It was Rin who their father had sacrificed himself for.

By the end of the week, Yukio asked Rin to continue it with him. He needed to see it through. He needed to understand what Mephisto had been saying.

* * *

"Don't you ever do that."

Yukio glanced over, as season 2 drew to a close. Rin's expression was firm and slightly angered, looking at his brother.

"Don't try and bring me back" he said, and Yukio's heart jumped into his throat.

"I thought you were Dean" he croaked, trying to be humorous to make light of it, and Rin grimaced, turning back to the TV.

"No" he said, pulling his blanket up higher. "I'm not. And you know it just as well as I do. If we were them…I'd be Sam. I'm the freak, after all— always was."

He sighed. "So, I'm telling you. If I die, don't even try it. Don't even think about it."

"I won't…

-but it's because I'm not going to let you die" Yukio said quietly, but his tone was sharp as a dagger.

Rin didn't respond for a few minutes, the credits rolling to a close and going silent for a moment.

His next comment made Yukio's stomach twist painfully, his heart sinking like a stone with the truth of it.

"…You really are Dean."

In some ways, he really was.

* * *

Rin actually had to leave the room during a few episodes, when Dean was suffering. While Yukio stayed, his previous anxieties had never left him, and now it was worse—now they were struggling not to draw parallels or imagine future scenarios. And this season was short.

The episode Pheles had mentioned was getting closer.

Yukio spent the whole thing on edge, uncertain of the episode's direction but dreading its outcome, and the moment he saw the second apparition of Dean he knew it was going to be bad.

…but nothing really could prepare him for that, not at this point. Not when they'd drawn these parallels. Not when his own eyes had done their world's equivalent of the same thing.

_This is what you're going to become._

He felt sick— he could actually feel the bile rising up in the back of his throat, burning uncomfortably as he covered his mouth and sunk into the back of the chair, pulling the blanket up. A part of him just wanted to cry, but breaking down that far would be too obvious. Too painful. And too much for him to do while he was here, watching this with his brother.

"This isn't going to happen to you, ok?" Rin said, looking over to him. "You didn't sell your soul, and you're not going to. So you won't end up in Hell. It's not going to happen."

_Not like that. Not the same way. But…_

"And if it did, y'know you could rely on me, right? 'Cause I'm a bit worse off than Sam after all."

"Right" Yukio whispered, and Rin made an uncharacteristically anxious expression for a good few minutes, before pouting his lower lip.

"Did _you_ ever try on pink panties?"

"They were baby blue with lace" Yukio whispered without skipping a beat, successfully breaking the tension as Rin spluttered, half laughing and half in shock, not sure whether to believe him.

…

Yukio had that nightmare that night, his own version of it, and he woke up with his cheeks wet and his throat hoarse with a scream that was still vibrating off the dorm walls.

Rin had woken up, looking over at his brother and sighing. "I think we need to quit watching."

"But…the thermostat?" Yukio whispered, and Rin grunted.

"Not worth waking up to your screaming, Yukio" he muttered, shoving his head in the pillow. "We'll…finish the season, and give it back to the clown."

"…Alright."

* * *

They did so. Yukio wasn't surprised when they failed at keeping Dean out of hell, not in the slightest. And while a part of him wanted to know, a stronger part didn't.

It was the same part of him that had let him avoid his blood tests for as long as he had.

Rin, however, was noticeably upset. "Maybe someday we'll finish it off…when it's a bit less close to home."

_When I'm not bothered by the idea of becoming a demon?_

He didn't voice that question, of course— instead he shrugged, packed up the DVDs, and headed to Pheles' office.

…

"Not even worth a thermostat?" Mephisto said slyly, as the box set was shoved into his chest.

"No" said Yukio sharply. "We reached the end of season 3."

"Ooh, you didn't even get to meet Castiel. A true shame" said Mephisto, taking the box set. "I commend you for sticking through the dream episode, however."

Yukio glared at him, saying nothing. He knew that Pheles knew, or else there was no way he would've said such. He opted to parse it over, instead going for a question.

"Does Dean turn into a demon while he's in Hell? I'm not going to watch it again, so I don't care about spoilers."

"No. He experiences quite a bit, but he comes back human" said Pheles, pulling out a PSP as he sat down at his desk.

Yukio exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment.

"No…Dean doesn't properly get demon powers until season 9, which just finished. Well, he becomes a demon, more or less, after a lengthy and angst-inducing process of it."

Yukio's eyes snapped open to see Mephisto smirking from behind his PSP. "It's kind of ironic. The one who more or less had the powers from childhood ended up normal, and the human protective brother became more or less a demon. I did tell you it was an interesting story, didn't I?"

Yukio tried to swallow most of what he wanted to say about this, because Mephisto still controlled his salary, was his guardian, and was a powerful demon to boot.

But he'd done this on purpose, and he knew it, and there was only one thing appropriate to say at this point.

"Son of a bitch" Yukio muttered, walking out of the office as Mephisto chuckled.


	2. Truth and Fiction

II : Truth and Fiction

There was a thick, annoyed tension in the room. People who have siblings know it well, when one— doesn't matter how old— is being increasingly annoying, and sometimes not even at that specific moment.

Like now, for instance. While Sam was lying on the red couch in Bobby's lounge, reading, the sheer disgruntlement radiating from him was palpable. It took a bit to get Sam this kind of annoyed— this was not the result of a lie, it was the result of Dean being a giant child.

Said Dean was sitting backwards on a chair, undeniably pouting and looking extremely bored, a beer in hand.

"Oi, we're on a break."

"No."

"Come on!" Dean grunted, refraining from throwing the bottle by a tiny fraction. "Sammy, this is ridiculous. You wouldn't have such a stick up your ass if it was a tv show—"

"I don't care that it's a comic, Dean."

"Manga!"

Sam shot Dean a glare, his eyes narrowing, before returning to his book without bothering to respond.

"Still actin' like giant five-year-olds?" came a gruff voice from the doorway. "Yer astoundin'. Why don't you spend yer damn free-time doin' research, ya idjit? In case you didn't notice, we've got an apocalypse about to rear-end us."

Dean grunted, getting off the seat, snatching up one of the newspapers from the chest of draws on the side wall and opening it with an angry flourish.

"Anyway" Bobby said, beginning to rifle through the desk. "I've got visitors who're gettin' some paperwork. They're the kids of an old friend a mine— met him on a hunt a long while back."

"Wait, kids?" Dean asked. "Why are kids picking up paperwork?"

"You know what I mean" Bobby said flatly. "They're hunters in their own right. At least one is. Not sure 'bout the other. Age don't mean a thing in our business."

"Right" Dean muttered.

Bobby grimaced, shutting a draw with a huff. "I think it's upstairs. Dammit…can't believe this. I got it out right after Shiro's damn funeral and the clown waits for five months to ask for it…asshole."

Grunting, Bobby went to leave the room, before stepping back in again.

"They'll be here any minute, so try not to be dickheads for once?"

"I'm civil" protested Dean, and both Bobby and Sam rolled their eyes dramatically, the elder man leaving the room properly.

And then returning again.

"Oh, and they're Japanese. Don't expect them to be able to hold a conversation."

Dean's brow creased, looking at Bobby as though he was a foreign object, which he ignored to leave properly. His footsteps echoed down the hall, closely followed by him stomping up the stairs.

A few moments later, there was a knock from the front door— firm, but formal.

"Guess that's them" said Dean, standing up, and Sam immediately followed.

"They don't speak English and your body language sucks, Dean. I'm not letting you answer it by yourself."

"You're an ass" Dean retorted, as they headed through the hall to the door.

Sam was the one who opened it— his long legs got him to the door before Dean did, but the older brother was standing close by and had full view of the two visitors.

Who were now staring at them with eyes as wide as dinner plates, looking between the two as though they'd just seen ghosts.

"Uh— are you…ok?" Sam said, trying to gesture what he meant at the same time.

"Ano…y-yes" he said stiffly, his eyes flicking back toward the shorter of the pair, who had longer hair and something in red bag over his shoulder. "Look for…Robert Singer? Family friend. Fujimoto Shirou."

"Uh yeah, uh…lemme go get him" said Sam.

"You two don't have a brain between ya, do ya?" Bobby said, looking from behind them, before saying something in extremely fluent Japanese.

The taller responded back, his tone a lot more confident in his native language, before looking through his things and handing over what looked like an ID card, gesturing to the other teen and saying something else.

"Alright then" said Bobby, nodding. "Ok, idjits. Taller one is Yukio, and short and grumpy is Rin. They're brothers."

The colour left Dean's face in an instant, and he turned to Bobby with his mouth slightly open. "You're pulling my leg, right?"

"Eh?"

"They're not…they—" he stuttered, grabbing the ID off of Bobby, which thankfully had an English translation.

Without a doubt, it said 'Okumura Yukio'.

"Oh fuck" Dean whispered, before looking at Rin, and then at Yukio. "Oh fuck. Oh fuck."

"Dean?" said Sam, looking at him in surprise. "…Are you alright?"

"I…I am not sure" he said, looking at the twins again. Twins. He knew that not because they'd told him.

But because he had read about them. He should've known that anything with that kind of subject matter was going to turn out badly.

This was…was it even possible?

There was another spout of Japanese from Yukio, and Bobby nodded, responding with what sounded like introductions. The two looked at each other again, still seemingly wide-eyed, and looking less and less comfortable.

"Pleased to meet you, Dean and Sam" Yukio said stiffly. "I know…little English, but more than older brother."

"Heh, the younger one is the taller one too" Sam said, smiling slightly, and Dean swallowed, holding his tongue.

"Nice to meet you too, Yukio" he murmured. "Uh…you two thirsty? I can get you something while Bobby's getting the paperwork?"

"You're actually being nice?" Sam asked, and Dean huffed.

"I'm always nice!"

"No all-co-hole. Me and older brother are fifteen."

Dean and Sam looked and Yukio for a second, before Sam turned to Dean.

"He's good."

"Oh, shut up Sam. I'm not going to give you beer, Yukio, jesus. We've got water."

Bobby tapped them both on the shoulder. "I still gotta find that paperwork, so you all play nice."

He finished with some Japanese, before turning around and heading back up the stairs, as Sam let the twins inside.

"So…water?"

Yukio immediately hesitated, an anxious look passing over his face as he looked over to his brother, and it took Dean a few seconds before it struck him.

He was worried about holy water.

"No thank you" Yukio eventually said, bowing his head. "But thank you for offer."

Dean had half a mind to say he wouldn't, but Sam would immediately get suspicious if he did—and the fact was, he would if it was anyone else?

But he knew these two, even if Sam didn't, and it was actually beginning to frustrate him a bit. Bias was playing on his mind. If it was anyone else he would've shot them. If he didn't have prior knowledge…

…well, he wouldn't know who they were related to. But he _did, _and the world would be all the more safer if he shot them.

But what then? How would he explain _that? _Or live with it? Especially knowing that they were more or less good people…and Rin had never killed anyone, or even hurt anyone with his powers besides punching people.

He went with that. He clung to that. So long as he didn't kill anyone, so long as he stayed on the straight and narrow…maybe he could justify it. He felt hypocritical, especially after everything that had happened with Jack Montgomery, but at the same time, he and Sam would've left him if he'd been able to control it. To not go down that dark path. And Dean had read enough to know that it wasn't inevitable for Rin. He could make a choice.

Even if he really did dislike the choices he was making, but...

"Are you ok, Dean? You kinda spaced out there."

Dean looked up at Sam, before looking back toward the twins, both of whom had gravely serious expressions for reasons he couldn't place.

"I'm fine, Sammy" Dean said. "It's nothing."

Sam raised an eyebrow, before huffing a bit, heading into the kitchen and leaving Dean alone with the Okumuras.

Dean saw Yukio's jaw tense, and he recognized the familiar look in his eyes. Spacing out and lying to his brother…

He heard a cough and a splutter from behind him, and the skid of boots as Sam came spinning around the corner from the kitchen, looking at Dean.

"I just figured out why you're being friendly and all I can say is _why and how._"

"You hid them in the kitchen?! Ok, look, nevermind. Would you rather I—"

"No, no, but—"

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Bobby asked, coming down the stairs with a manilla folder. "Actually all four of you look like you're about to hurl ya lunch—somebody mention lacy panties?"

Both Yukio and Dean snorted, before clearing their throats. Bobby handed Yukio the folder, giving everyone the evil eye.

"Bobby have you ever heard of real-life people ending up in fictional works?" Sam said quickly. "It's important."

"Oh no" Yukio said. "Are older brother and me in a tv show?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "…why do you say tv show?" he asked, getting a weird feeling, and the twins looked at each other.

"Please tell me we're not on a tv show?" said Sam, his voice weak.

Silence reigned for a good five minutes, the tension slowly getting stronger.

"We not watch all, if good thing?" Rin said in broken English, rubbing his hair.

"So we're on a tv show and they're in a manga, great" Dean muttered, and Yukio's eyes went wide.

"_We're in a manga?!"_

* * *

Somehow, they had ended up convening in Bobby's lounge room, while Bobby went and made phone calls in an effort to figure out if this had ever happened before. Rin had, at the insistence of his brother, remained in the doorway, and now was leaning against the frame looking rather awkward and very tense.

If they knew who they were, Dean was not surprised in the slightest. He had resumed his seat on the chair, and both Sam and Yukio were on the couch—though the latter had positioned himself as close to the opposite edge as he possibly could.

"So…these two are the main characters of that comic."

"Manga, yeah" said Dean, huffing a bit and shuffling his feet. "I ended up readin' the whole thing because it was interesting. And because it's one of the few things I'd read that kinda got the whole hunting situation right, despite the differences."

"Yeah. He hasn't shut up about it" Sam groaned, leaning back on the couch, before giving Rin a wary stare.

Yukio cleared his throat awkwardly. "We…were also given tv series. With you both. We…only saw first three sequences."

"I guess he means seasons?" Dean questioned, raising his eyebrow. "So where'd season three end?"

After Yukio translated the question for Rin, both brothers had gone quite pale, and Yukio was looking at his feet.

"…you getting killed by hellhounds."

The room went quite for a moment, and Sam let out a slow breath of air.

"So that means we're not that far ahead, I guess? It hasn't even been a month since Castiel pulled you out."

"Castiel…Mephisto mentioned that name" Yukio said, and Dean's mouth immediately puckered.

"He mentioned him?"

"Indeed I did."

The entire room turned, and there was what sounded like a loud yelp of surprise as Sam basically dived off the side of the couch and peered up over the arm.

"What the hell?" hissed Dean, getting to his feet. "You shouldn't be able to get in here, it's warded!"

"Please" said Mephisto, waving off his hat. "Measly wards of this calibre are not going to keep a demon like myself out."

"It's a demon clown" Sam whispered. "What the hell is going on right now?"

"Well" Mephisto said, twirling his umbrella and tapping his long red boots against the kitchen tiles, "since you have now met, it is…inadvisable for you to have access to what could be almost an encyclopaedia of my charge's lives."

With a flourish, the stack of manga that had been hidden in the kitchen appeared in Mephisto's free hand, and then vanished again just as quickly. Dean's face immediately dropped, looking extremely upset.

"But Izumo was going to the festival. And we were going to find out about Takara" he said, looking like a kicked puppy.

"And you'll just have to ask for the results of said festival from the Okumuras, hm?" Mephisto said slyly. Dean grunted, clenching his fist.

"Listen here, you damned clown" he said, pointing at him. "I dunno who the hell you think you are, but I ain't relying on you for a salary and I will put holes in your god damn top hat, you hear me?"

"Dean no" Yukio whispered.

"Yeah, Dean, I think you should listen to him" Sam said, nodding his head.

From behind them, there was suddenly a spurt of Japanese, and Yukio quickly responded back, seeming to explain the situation given his hand gestures. His face flitted into shock for a few seconds, before he too whispered "Dean no."

"I think you should listen, young man" Mephisto said, smirking. "Unless you need a time-out?"

"No thanks" Dean said quickly, exhaling angrily. "Fuckin' clown."

"Call me what you like, just remember your place" Mephisto cooed, placing his hat back over his purple hair. "Now, I think that's all dealt with. And…one last thing. We are currently not quite in preparation for the festival at school, Dean Winchester, so you have read ahead of our timeline. Do use that information wisely."

He winked, before vanishing in a puff of pink smoke, leaving the lounge room quiet. The silence reigned for a few minutes, before Sam slowly extracted himself from behind the couch and resumed his original seating.

"So…anything of interest?"

"How am I supposed to know what's of interest?!" Dean retorted, huffing angrily. "For all I god damn know the fact that that fuck can turn into a cockroach might be of interest! I don't friggin' know, Sammy!"

Sam stared at him for a few seconds. "…he can turn into a cockroach?"

"Yeah, he can turn into a god damn cockroach" Dean muttered, folding his arms. "And a fluffy little Pomeranian turd. Who knows what else."

Yukio began talking in Japanese, which again sounded like a translation, though the last part of the unintelligible conversation seemed to be mainly confusion. Eventually Yukio huffed, rubbing his temples and looking at the floor.

"Truce?"

Dean looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "Truce…?"

The younger Winchester also looked a little confused for a moment, before realizing. "You mean…regarding your brother, right?"

Yukio nodded stiffly. "We are…we fight demons, as well. We are on the same side."

"Don't worry about it" Dean said, moving back to his chair and sitting down. "You've got your truce. You're not gonna find a fight here."

"Wait, Dean…you're really agreeing, just like that?" said Sam, looking incredulous. "I mean, sure, they're kids, but—"

Dean shook his head. "Not in this, Sam. I know 'em better than you do. The same rules apply as usual. They go off the deep end and join the hellspawn I won't be vouchin' for them. But they're hunters. And good people."

Yukio looked at him for a good few moments, before speaking in Japanese to Rin, who looked just as shocked as he did.

"I think they were expecting more animosity from you, Dean" Sam said, looking a little amused.

"I think you can shut your pie hole, Sam" Dean huffed. "Now we've got that clarified, are you two headin' home or do you want something to eat? I mean, I'm sure Bobby wouldn't mind the new company, but I bet Rin's got a homework pile a mile high."

Yukio snorted, choking back an incredulous laugh. "Well, maybe older brother will work on his English after this."

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "And get a two? Wow, what a massive improvement."

The younger man was now struggling to hold back laughing, eventually just shaking his head and pushing his hair back, standing up from the couch.

"Thank you…for the truce" Yukio said, nodding his head. "Most people…who know…aren't so kind. It is unexpected."

"Yeah, well" Dean said, sighing. "I'll admit that if I just knew and didn't know anything else…I'd be in the same boat. But I've got the benefit of knowin' more than most. Actually…probably more than anyone."

He shook his head again. "But, hey, you guys didn't run screaming from us, so thanks for givin' me and Sam a chance, too."

Dean smirked slightly, before grimacing. "And by the way, if I ever get to meet that Angel dude and he's got no clue who I am, I'm gonna kick him in the shin for cuttin' off Rin's—oh wait you don't know about that never mind."

Yukio raised his eyebrows, before turning to his brother and speaking in Japanese. It took all of two sentences from each for Yukio's expression to darken like a storm cloud, and he huffed in annoyance.

"Kick him in more than the shin" Yukio said stiffly, before joining his brother in the door way. "I suppose we may be seeing you, or not. Either way, goodbye."

Yukio bowed his head, and Rin did the same. Both the Winchesters waved in reply, and the two disappeared down the hallway.

"How'd they even get here?"

"Magic key" Dean said nonchalantly.

The taller brother looked at him in disbelief, before putting his head in his hand. "This is absolutely ridiculous."


	3. We Need to Talk About the Okumuras

Timeline notes, as requested~:

Sam and Dean have just finished up the events of Season 4 Episode 4 - Metamorphosis.

Yukio and Rin are the manga iterations, and are sometime after the Kraken. It's deliberately left vague until a later chapter.

* * *

III: "We Need to Talk About the Okumuras."

"We need to talk."

Dean looked up from the stack of research papers, to where Sam was sitting on the motel bed. It was the night after what could probably be called a 'fateful' encounter, but the term had long since lost its meaning for the two Winchester brothers—especially given the last few weeks since Dean had returned to the realm of the living.

It hadn't been a long trip for this job, so they had avoiding having to do their usual switcheroo/sleep in the car, and they'd arrived about nine 'o'clock. Far too late to do any actual productive investigation aside from stakeouts, so they'd paid for their motel room and settled in for some research.

Sam didn't seem all that eager to just 'settle', however—he'd had a bone to pick with Dean the entire drive, but it was an unspoken (although often broken) agreement to keep their arguments out of the car.

His expression was deadly serious, and Dean already knew a lecture of some kind was incoming.

At least he kind of knew what it'd be about, this time.

"About what, Sammy?" Dean replied, feigning innocence, and Sam turned up his nose, shaking his head.

"You know what. Those kids. Who just so happen to be the spawn of Satan."

Dean sighed, turning fully to Sam. "And?"

"And?" Sam asked incredulously. "You let them _live_. Hell, you let them walk out without a scratch!"

"So? Thought you'd be happy about me giving people a chance."

"They're Satan's kids, Dean! And in case you didn't notice, Lilith is trying to bust their _dad_ out of hell. Maybe I'm just _paranoid_" he uttered this sarcastically, "but doesn't that seem a little freakin' suspicious to you?!"

"So now you're all gung-ho, let's kill the Satan spawn, is that it?!" Dean retorted, getting to his feet. "You seriously think they're involved in all this?!"

"If not right now, then later—yeah Dean, I do!" Sam snapped back. "There's no way they aren't! And it isn't like you to just instantly trust a couple of random kids, especially with parentage like that! You'll go all slash and burn on some guru guru with no prior history and let the spawn of Satan walk free?!"

"Last I checked, Sam, _you_ killed the guru guru, not me. And he killed someone! A friend of ours, in fact! You're the one who was all 'let's talk to him', _remember_?"

"He wasn't Satan's kid, for crying out loud! He had more chance of a normal life than they do! You don't even know them, Dean!"

Dean's face twisted up angrily, and he ran his hand down his chin, rubbing the stubble there. "Wrong, Sam."

"Oh, because you read their comic. What proof is there that's even the correct story?!"

"Oh come on! They knew about me getting killed by hellhounds, Sam! And think about the damn time frame! Three seasons, three years since we started hunting together again. Oh, and uh, not to mention the pointy friggin ears Rin happened to have and the fact Bobby was getting down a file for _Shirou freakin' Fujimoto_!"

"…the priest?" Sam asked, an eyebrow quirking up slightly. He'd read the first three chapters, so at the very least he knew who that was.

"The very same. Their actual dad. Do you really think Bobby would've just let them in if he didn't trust Fujimoto? And Bobby knew only one of them was a hunter. Maybe there's some deviation in there somewhere but for all we know— and the fact Mephisto made an effort to get that manga out of our hands— it's a blow by blow account, Sam. And he was no pushover."

"Yeah, and you still threatened to Lincoln him."

"Yeah, well, he put Yukio through a lot of shit" Dean muttered, slumping back down on the chair and picking up his beer.

Sam sighed, rubbing his hair. "Look… I just… It worries me, ok? You getting so obsessive over that story, and now they're real. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I can handle myself, Sam" Dean replied, shaking his head slightly before sighing. "I don't like the fact Rin's got demon powers any more than I like your ESP mess" he muttered. "And I sure as hell ain't jealous of their situation in all but the fact Yukio gets a god damn salary for fighting demons. But those kids…I guess I feel for 'em. They're not in a good spot either, Sammy. I'd say worse than us."

The younger brother closed his eyes for a moment, before shifting his position, interlinking his fingers in front of him and slouching a little. "Alright. Tell me. Give me the full run down, Dean. You're going to let them live, fine. But I need to know just who we're dealing with."

Dean looked into the mouth of the bottle for a moment, debating whether to just fully unload or give Sam an edited version. He found himself in a bit of a mental hang-up, not realizing he'd gone silent for a good five minutes until Sam spoke up again.

"If you won't start, I will. That fight, in Chapter Two—"

"Mephisto told him to test Rin. That damn clown is also the reason he's even teaching that class."

"And 'go die'?"

Dean shook his head. "Dunno. I mean, I guess I have a theory…but if you actually wanna know you'd have to ask him. In any case the kid's done anything but let that happen. He basically drives himself into viper pits trying to keep his brother safe, and Rin don't make it easy."

"Huh" breathed Sam. "So… Yukio, right?"

"Mhm."

"What's Rin like?"

"Impulsive and frustrating as fuck, that's what. Swore he was gonna punch Satan in the face, basically. He's…green. Wants to save everyone, damn the consequences and damn his own safety. His head's on the chopping block because of it."

"What, with Yukio?"

"No, literally. The Vatican have postponed it, but he's due to be executed. For, yknow. Being Satan's kid."

"Ah" said Sam, leaning his shoulders back a bit. "I think I see why you're so caught up on them."

"Mm?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if it's just you projecting, because he seemed pretty stiff to me, but this Yukio guy sounds like you, Dean. And Rin? Well, I think that speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

Sam let out a breath of air through his nose. "Damn the consequences and damn his own safety, huh?"

"Oi, that was not a dig at you, Sammy. You've got the experience to know that not everyone can be saved."

"Heh, yeah. From watching one too many people die. No wonder he's green, Dean, he's _fifteen_ and didn't even know demons existed. And if you're saying he's green then what's Yukio, huh?"

"Seasoned" Dean murmured. "I mean, he's known about his bloodline since he was seven… but he was seeing them from the crib. And he's definitely not wet behind the ears."

Sam sighed. "Why train only one and leave the other in the dark? Surely that's caused issues."

"Lots of em. No idea why. The only person who could explain that reasoning is dead and buried. Probably cremated, actually."

Sam blinked a few times, before getting off the bed and rifling through his bag, pulling out his laptop and charger before sitting down at the table with Dean.

"Alright. Mephisto took the comics away from you, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"So, there's probably something in there that could be useful. Or relevant. Or anything like that. So while it's still fresh in your head, I record it down, and then we can use it as a reference. Plus he said you're ahead. That could be extremely handy."

"Sam, that's forty-seven chapters. And some of them are really unpleasant."

"Our lives are also unpleasant, Dean. If you wanna help these two, the best thing you can do is remember the story's details."

Dean huffed a little, taking a swig at his beer, as Sam tapped away at the computer for a good few minutes, them stopped.

"Hey, uh, Dean?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"They're both Satan's kids, right?"

Dean instantly froze. He'd been trying to avoid the topic. But Sam was too curious for it to remain unsaid.

"Yeah."

"But Yukio's human?"

The older brother was quiet for a few seconds.

"Couldn't tell you."

Sam looked taken aback by the response. "What does that mean?"

"It means it's part of one extremely long plot arc, Sam, that wasn't finished or even close to it by chapter forty seven" Dean huffed. "Yukio's tests are negative but he's had an incident. And thought a burst of fire from Rin losing his temper was his. He doesn't know, and neither do I."

"Uh… Sounds pretty solid to me, Dean" Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "What was the incident?"

Dean grunted. "His eyes went demonic. Full blue, catslits, fire, whole nine yards. But that was seventeen chapters ago. Oh, and he hasn't stopped worrying about it. Or told Rin."

"He didn't tell his brother."

"Nope."

"If you ask me that's a watertight argument for him turning into a demon, Dean. He's obviously got something in him."

"It's more complicated than that" Dean protested. "This dude and Mephisto said they weren't his eyes. But yknow, you kinda know when you're possessed? And the only possessor with eyes like that you'd definitely know. But…"

"You don't want him to turn into a demon, do you?" Sam asked.

"Would you?" Dean retorted, exhaling. "He's been through enough shit without having the flames riding shotgun. You know most hunters you meet, and you look at them and you know they're never getting out? Yukio's like that. He's got years of bullshit waiting for him, he doesn't need that too."

"Well, I don't particularly like the idea either, even if it does kind of sound inescapable at this point, at least from what you've told me. We'll just have to keep an eye on him, and if anything happens… Take steps. Bobby's got the panic room with devils traps, and I'm sure the Vatican or whatever is watching him closely, too."

"Yeah" said Dean, nodding slowly. "So, from chapter one, I guess?"

"From chapter one."


	4. And So it Begins

I'm able to update quickly right now because I have a lot pre-written (15k) and I am still on semester break from University.

Expect updates to slow down after next week.

* * *

IV: And So it Begins

"Y'know, usually I go months without seein' you two, and now you're on my doorstep again for second time in a week. If I didn't know better I'd say you're getting' sentimental."

"H_a_ h_a_, Bobby" Dean retorted sarcastically, rolling his shoulders. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be, but I just wasn't going to find the parts for Baby otherwise."

"Sentimental, I knew it" Bobby replied, smirking to himself, and Dean grunted as he walked off to go search for parts.

"So, how you two holdin' up anyway?" Bobby asked, looking at the taller brother, who was now leaning against a hunk of twisted metal that was once a car.

"Good. Yeah, we're good. Dealt with a spirit before the Impala started playing up…started doing a bit of a research project, too."

Bobby raised his eyebrows, fingers searching for a wrench. He was hunched over the engine of his own car, covered to the elbows in oil. "Research project, huh? Involving what?"

Sam hesitated, shuffling his feet a bit. "Ah, just…y'know, some things. Related to this apocalypse deal. Nothing major."

"Uh huh" Bobby said flatly, rolling his eyes upward. "Come talk to me when you actually want to be upfront about it."

"Look, Bobby—"

"Y'know, I wasn't born yesterday" Bobby muttered, grabbing a rag and beginning to clean off his hands, straightening so he could look at the younger Winchester. "The only relevant thing to pop up recently happened to be Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass a week ago. I ain't stupid, Sam."

"Uh—"

"And if you're actually lookin' into it, you won't find hide or hair on them. Fujimoto was a lotta things, and one of them was good at coverin' his tracks."

"Wait…are you saying you know about…them being—?"

"Devil spawn?"

"And you didn't shoot either" Sam said incredulously, raising his eyebrows, and Bobby grunted and through the rag over his shoulder.

"Fujimoto died for those kids, Sam. He was a close friend of mine, had been for as long as he had those two under his wing. I dunno any more than anyone else why he decided not to kill 'em when he was told to, but he risked everything for it."

Bobby sighed, heading toward the house, and Sam trailed along, intent on getting the rest of Bobby's story. "Don't get me wrong, I can't say I approved. You've got your slightly wacko and then you've got your just plain nuts and adopting the Anti-Christs kinda falls into the latter category. No matter what I thought, though—killin' two kids who've done nothing but good when a friend died to keep 'em safe feels kinda like spitting on his grave."

"Do you think they're involved? With the apocalypse?"

"I dunno, is the sky blue?" Bobby retorted, shaking his head. "There's no doubt they're involved. Just how involved remains to be seen. I mean, they're still breathin' even with angels roamin' about, so that's something to consider."

"Good point" Sam huffed, as they reached the back door and Dean caught up with them.

"Bobby, you and your car yard are lifesavers. You've got everything I need. But I gotta let the Impala sit for an hour or so 'til she's cooled down and all her oil's settled. Might as well do a full service on her while I'm here."

"I did service the car while you weren't around, Dean" Sam said, and Dean cocked his head and shrugged.

"If you say so."

The three headed into the kitchen, and Dean immediately looked into Bobby's fridge, his eyes scanning the shelves before plucking out what looked like a casserole.

"This old?"

"Made it last night" Bobby said, walking over to the kitchen's desk. "Help yourself."

"You hungry, Sammy?" Dean asked, waving the tray around. "There's enough in here for you too if you want it."

Sam shook his head. "We had those breakfast burritos on the way in, remember? Honestly I don't know how you're still hungry."

The older brother raised his eyebrows, before shrugging and beginning to scoop out some food onto a plate.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" he asked, licking off his thumb and putting the plate in the microwave.

"Your 'research project'" Bobby huffed, and Dean instantly whirled around, looking at his brother for an explanation.

Shrugging, Sam let out a breath through his nose. "He knows. About the Okumuras, I mean. Apparently he and Fujimoto go way back."

"Oh really?" Dean asked, looking a bit taken aback. "You've never mentioned him."

"Yeah, and like you two idjits know every damn detail of my life" Bobby said, turning the page of a notebook. "He's half the reason I even know Japanese."

Dean looked at Sam, mouthing the word 'how?' and Sam gave him an 'Like I know' look in return, shrugging his shoulders and making an incredulous frowny face.

"So…how'd you know about them, anyway?" Dean asked, folding his arms.

"Y'know, I could be asking you the same thing" Bobby said, raising his eyebrows, before sighing, turning back to the book. "Fujimoto was not the kinda guy who strikes you as paternal, 'specially back then. He was a dick, actually. So the fact he gets promoted after killin' a newborn and then adopts twins kinda seemed a bit suspicious. I didn't get confirmation until about a decade ago, though, when I—"

Bobby's sentence was interrupted by a knock on the front door, a knock that sounded…familiar.

"…speak of the devil" murmured Bobby, smirking slightly. "Did I tell you two I was expecting visitors?"

"Is that—?" Dean asked, pointing in the direction of the door, but Sam had already left to answer it. Dean would have followed, but the microwave beeped and busied himself with fishing out the hot plate and a fork as Sam came back in…through the other hallway.

"Why'd you go that way?" Dean asked, sticking a forkful of food into his mouth before wincing, opening his mouth and taking a few breaths of air to try and cool it down.

"He insisted" Sam said, looking at the taller of the two brothers, who was carrying a stack of papers and had a bit of a disgruntled expression on his face. The older Okumura was standing behind Yukio, peering around into the kitchen and looking at its occupants.

"There's a devil's trap on the library's roof, ya idjits" Bobby muttered.

"Oh" said Dean, looking at Rin. "That explains why Yukio made him stand in the doorway last time, too."

"I would not enjoy breaking a roof- drawn demon trap" Yukio said stiffly, walking over to Bobby with the piles of books. "And older brother would not be pleasant to deal with, if that happen."

Rin said something in Japanese, and Yukio rolled his eyes upward before responding in an annoyed huff.

"He's got a point" Bobby said, and Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Translation?"

"Rin's annoyed that Yukio hasn't been translating everything for him. Yukio's response to that is something about test scores."

"Well Rin did get a zero on his English test" Dean said, shrugging his shoulders before eating another mouthful of casserole.

Yukio just shook his head, placing the books down on the desk and bringing up a puff of dust, before hesitating. "You know…about my brother?" he asked, looking at Bobby.

"Mhmm. No, those two didn't tell me either. I knew your dad" the older man responded, looking up at Yukio. "Enough that I could put two and two together."

"Ah" Yukio said quietly, immediately breaking eye contact with Bobby, and stepping back toward the doorway. "Those are the last books the Order has obtained with that information."

Bobby chuckled quietly, before rifling through them. "Thanks. I'll be sure to return 'em once I have what I need."

Dean raised his eyebrows. That was odd for Yukio, but then again, he wasn't exactly in friendly territory.

Polishing off the plate, he put it in the sink, brushing his hands off on his jeans. "Well, I gotta go work on my car. Nice to see you…two?"

When Dean looked up, both brothers had gone intensely pale, looking out the window with terrified expressions. Without saying a word, both burst straight through the back door and began running as fast as they could.

"What the hell was that?!" asked Sam, looking out through the back door. The hinges had been slightly damaged by Rin throwing it open, and now there was also a hole in the wall.

"Beats me" said Dean, looking just as confused as Sam was. "They looked like they'd seen a ghost, but that is definitely not the reaction either of them would've had to an actual ghost."

"So what the hell did they see?" Sam asked, looking a bit worried. "I mean, I wouldn't blame Yukio for running from certain things, but Rin? Hell…I'm going to catch up with them."

"Hey—" said Dean in a half-hearted protest, but Sam had already left the building and was running in the direction the two had headed off in.

"Why didn't he take a car?!" Dean muttered, shaking his head as he went to follow, only to stop in his tracks as the sound of ruffling wings echoed behind him.

"…I take it you're the reason they just bolted for the hills?" Dean asked, turning to see Castiel.

"Ah. One moment."

"One moment?" Dean retorted, turning his head back to the doorway. "Sam's just gone bolting after them—"

When he turned his head back, he froze, realizing what Castiel had meant by 'one moment'. He now had both brothers in tow, and they were both looking terrified out of their wits.

Rin started babbling something in Japanese, and Castiel sighed lengthily, letting go of their arms and placing a finger to each of their temples.

"…you can have my manga."

"What manga? All the manga you read is my manga, you spend your entire allowance on monja and keep using mine!"

"Oi, I have manga."

Yukio glared at Rin, narrowing his eyes. "The only manga you actually own I don't want anything to do with. If you're getting your fluids all over my manga who knows what you're doing to—"

"Ok time out!" Dean said quickly, suddenly realizing exactly what kind of manga they were referring too. "Did…you do something to make them translate?" Dean asked, looking at Castiel, who nodded.

"Some concepts will not transfer perfectly into English, but angels have a mastery of all languages. With some influence, we can allow others to also partake in this ability. OF course, they had no clue they were being translated into English until you somehow spoke in fluent Japanese."

"Handy" said Dean with a nod, and Rin and Yukio looked at him.

"Did the angel do something?" Rin asked.

"If he did, I don't know why" Yukio said, shaking his head.

"Maybe he's toying with us" Rin suggested.

Castiel sighed. "I am not "toying" with you. During current circumstances, and your involvement within the Knights of the True Cross and the Vatican, we angels will not harm either of you."

"No way" said Rin, stepping back from Castiel. "That's gotta be bullshit! Why the hell would angels want me alive? Last guy I met with angel in his title cut my damn leg off!"

"The behaviour of the current Paladin has nothing to do with our orders. If it were our choice neither of you would be breathing, and it is a sentiment shared by much of the legion. But, as is the case with…others, so long as you remain beneficial and against Satan, Lucifer, and their cause, you will not come to harm."

"I don't think he's lying" Yukio said quietly. "He could've killed both of us when he dragged us up off the bitumen."

Castiel nodded slowly. "My appearance here was to remind you of such, nothing else. Remain useful, and you will be allowed to remain alive."

Castiel vanished again, leaving the Okumuras still pale and shaking slightly. Rin wrung his hands, trying to stop the tremors and shake off the fright Castiel had given him.

"An actual angel" Rin said incredulously. "I can't believe I'm not dead."

"Neither can I" said Dean, looking pretty stunned. "How'd you know he was an angel, anyway? And you knew he was coming before he got here, too."

"Church bells" Rin said. "Like a warning. Plus uh…y'know, the wings?"

Dean looked at Rin and raised his eyebrows. "Castiel doesn't have wings unless he's doing freaky mumbo jumbo shit."

"…I could see them?" Yukio questioned, raising an eyebrow. "That's strange."

"Hey, Dean" Bobby said, finally piping in. "You'd better give Sam a call. He's probably half way to South Carolina by now."

Dean nodded, picking up his phone, only to have the back door open and Sam come back in, panting and looking at the Okumuras with an annoyed expression.

"They were like fifty metres ahead of me, and then they just freakin' disappeared! How the hell—"

"Castiel teleported us back. I think" said Rin, scratching his chin, and Sam's eyes went wide as dinner plates.

"Why are they speaking English?"

"…I'm not speaking English" Rin said. "You're speaking Japanese. Why are you speaking Japanese?"

"I'm not speaking Japanese, I'm speaking English!"

"Castiel put some kind of translator doohickey spell thing on them" Dean interrupted. "So, say good-bye to the language barrier, I guess. Who wants burritos?"

"You just ate!" Sam protested, pushing his hair back before shaking his head. "That does make it easier, though."

"I'll say. And burritos sound great! I've always wanted to try a genuine burrito!"

"…burritos are from Mexico, Rin" Yukio said flatly.

Rin immediately looked confused, his brow bunching up. "…Which state is Mexico?"

"So!" said Bobby, interrupting before Rin continued to dig himself into a pit of stupidity, "just found an interesting report from up in Pennsylvania. Apparently, a girl was found, bloodless, and the one witness _swears_ it's a vampire."

"A real life vampire?!" exclaimed Rin. "Can we go? Please? Oh god I want to ride in the Impala. Please. Please."

"What?" Sam said, immediately shaking his head, "I mean, uh, well—"

"Could be a good lesson" Bobby said, smirking slightly, and Dean and Sam both gave him horrified looks. Yukio raised his eyebrows, looking extremely concerned and a little freaked out by the prospect of his brother coming along on a vampire hunt.

"If Bobby's vouching for us coming that pretty much cinches it, right?" Rin said, grinning widely, and Sam blinked a few times, taking a long, deep breath.

"Look, I know it would be problematic if we were to come along" Yukio said, shaking his head. "You're not obligated in any way to indulge my brother's antics."

"He does use a sword though" said Dean, nodding his head. "Waddya say, Sammy? I think we should give 'em a chance."

The look Sam gave him instantly said 'are you nuts?!', but rather than voicing the sentiment he let out a heavy breath. "Fine."

"I'll make sure Rin doesn't get in the way" Yukio said, folding his arms, and Rin gave him an annoyed look.

"Awesome" said Dean, rubbing his hands together and spinning on his heel. "So, we get these two some fake ID, then burritos."

Yukio gave Bobby a sideways glance that clearly read 'are you sure that was a good idea?', but Bobby merely ignored him.

"This is going to suck" Yukio whispered, drooping like a wilted lettuce.


	5. An Interrupted Moment

The new cover is by Bran1313 on DeviantArt. Her work is lovely and she has a Sam equivalent too!

(And in saying that, I asked for her permission to use it before putting it up here.)

* * *

V: An Interrupted Moment

"Ok, question."

"Shoot."

"Are you fucking insane?!"

Dean pushed himself out from under the Impala, where Sam was standing, looking infuriated.

"I see you're mad."

"Mad? I'm not just mad, Dean, I'm fucking _pissed_. What the hell has gotten into you?!"

"Look, Sam—"

"Don't _look_ me. We've all agreed not to do anything about their crap, but that doesn't mean we should be dragging a pair of greenhorns halfway across the country!"

"One green horn" corrected Dean, before giving Sam an angry look. "And he'll stay green if he doesn't get field experience. Right?"

"But why should we be the ones giving them field experience? Hell, if this is actually a vampire—"

"Vampires don't look like textbook vampires, Sammy, you know that" Dean said shortly, sitting up. "It's probably just a copycat whack job. But it means he'll get the whole investigation experience, and we can get to know them better as real people and not a damn research project. You think they're involved with the apocalypse? Well, so do I, and with or against us, we're better knowin' how they operate."

"And what if it is actually a vampire, or something else?"

"That's less of a worry. They're both crack hunters, and Yukio's not gonna let Rin run around waving his sword around like a dumbass."

Sam exhaled heavily, shuffling his feet. "This is a bad idea, Dean."

"You got a better suggestion? Would you rather take them to the mall and chat over coffee? You're really gonna get a good read on them that way."

"So this is entirely about scoping them out and has nothing to do with you wanting to see them in an actual fight" Sam asked flatly, folding his arms, and Dean sighed.

"Y'know what, Sammy? I'm actually kinda terrified of seeing those flames for real. So yeah, that's exactly what it is."

Sam raised an eyebrow, before exhaling, rubbing his hair. "Ok. Ok, fine. It's on your head if anything happens."

"Already knew that" Dean retorted, sliding back under the Impala, and Sam shook his head, looking back out around the car yard.

"Where'd they go, anyway?" he asked, looking around. "Bobby still has to do those photos for the badges."

"I dunno" grunted Dean, a ratchet creaking from under the car. "Either Yukio hauled Rin's ass back home or they're getting supplies."

He kicked his heel against the concrete a bit. "Heh, hope it's that last one and Yukio's getting holy water grenades."

Sam's brow furrowed. "It's not about wanting to see _Yukio_ in action, is it?"

"Of course not" Dean replied, a little too quickly, and Sam sighed in frustration, kicking up dust as he headed back to the house.

The sunlight was broken, a light cloud cover hanging over the car yard. Although no longer as warm as it had been a few months back (but he'd barely felt the warmth back then, in the times when Ruby wasn't around and he was so very acutely alone), the weather had carried on a bit longer than usual, stretching through mid-September and only beginning to cool down as October finally approached.

Sam ended up sitting himself down on the back porch, the newspaper Bobby had found the article in rolled up in his right hand, his left tangled in his hair.

He wasn't liking the situation, not at all, nor Dean's acceptance of it. A lot of it didn't even make sense. It wasn't like their world was exactly the same. He and Dean had only gotten through summarizing the first eighteen chapters, but it was enough that Sam could tell there was distinct differences. After all, if that girl Izumo was right, people with demon blood weren't uncommon in their story, and if that'd been the case in Sam's life, things wouldn't have panned out the way they did.

Or, maybe, he was just unlucky. That seemed to be a plausible explanation for that section, but there were undeniably other parts that didn't make sense at all.

"Dammit" he muttered, stretching his long legs out, and trying to push back the onset of a headache. Inwardly, he wondered if some of his anger was being generated by Dean's casual attitude— the older Winchester certainly hadn't taken that stance when it came to Sam's own powers. At the same time, the demon of the two brothers hadn't used his abilities in Dean's presence (not yet, anyway, if his track record was anything to go by), and Sam did, albeit reluctantly, recall Dean verbally yelling and occasionally throwing volumes of the manga when it came to Rin's behaviour.

Both outcomes sucked. Either Dean's anger was solely toward Sam, and he'd somehow made a mental exception for Rin, or he hated his powers just as much and would end up being an ass to the teen eventually. Not to mention the fact Dean seemed to have found a kindred spirit in the other, 'human' brother, and if Dean relating to anyone on that level was anything to go by he was probably just as much of a dick about demon powers as Dean.

Great. That was exactly was Sam needed. A second, slightly more grouchy and potentially demonic Dean.

There was a couple of bumps and knocks from inside the house, followed by the murmur of voices, and Sam stood up just as both the Okumuras walked out of the house, Rin looking both nervous and eager while Yukio just looked pissed. They were dressed in casual clothing—jeans and jackets, Yukio a bit more heavily clothed than Rin- and Yukio had a satchel and a travel bag slung over his right arm.

"Mephisto approved us coming with you and said it'd contribute to Rin's cram school grade."

"That…doesn't sound good" Sam said, raising his eyebrows, and Yukio made a face that clearly said he agreed, stepping down the porch and pulling something out of his bag.

"You have to place this inside the Impala's boot" he said stiffly, handing Sam a small, brown satchel—a hex bag.

"And…what's it for?"

The younger man sighed, glancing at his brother. "The Impala's boot is warded against demons. That will give my brother an exception, and my brother only. Or else the moment he touches the boot there's a chance the whole thing will come flying off."

The taller man instantly looked taken back by the comment, looking between the hex bag and Rin in confusion. "…Flying off?"

"He's a bull in a china shop and demon wards are the china" Yukio said flatly.

"I'm offended" Rin retorted, huffing.

"Say that to Shiemi's demon warding fence" Yukio snapped in reply, shifting the bags on his shoulder and glancing around the car yard. He looked fairly tense, and Sam couldn't say he blamed him. Truce or not, the twins seemed to have a pretty strong understanding of who they were and what they did, and what they did was usually aimed _at _them. And Yukio, rather than Rin, seemed to be the one more worried about it.

"Hey!" called a voice from behind them, and they turned to see Dean approaching, wiping off his fingers with a rag. "Just in time. I just finished up fixin' the Impala, so we can go any time now."

Sam's eyebrows flickered upward, and he deposited the hex bag into Dean's hands. "Apparently it makes an exception for Rin when it comes to the demon wards."

"Oh, awesome" said Dean, weighing the bag in his hand. "I'd hate to see what'd happen to the Impala if he broke Shiemi's fence by just touching it."

Sam sighed, rubbing his forehead before sticking his hands into his pockets. "Well, if we're gonna go, we might as well go now. Yukio can put his bag in the back with our stuff."

The older Winchester nodded, halfway looking like he wanted to quiz Yukio on what was in it, and the other half occupied with placating that want.

Well, while Sam had quite a bit of faith in his older brother, he really doubted Dean was going to be able to refrain for the entire trip—they were headed to Pennsylvania and that was a day-long drive.

Yukio packed his travel bag into the boot and Dean stored the hex bag in the corner, shutting it with a bang and walking to the driver's side.

"I'm going to back it up so we can get out easier" he said, stepping into the car and turning on the ignition. The engine revved to life, and Rin's eyes went wide, a sort of giddy glee forming.

"The actual Impala" he whispered, biting his lip, and Yukio shook his head, pushing his hand through his hair.

"Stop acting cool" Rin huffed, elbowing Yukio. "You're just trying to impress them with your cool guy attitude."

"Am not" Yukio retorted, as Dean pulled the car up, and Sam inwardly prayed this was not the kind of banter that would be accompanying them for the next twenty or so hours.

Sam got into the passenger side door, and the twins hesitated before Yukio sat down behind Dean, and Rin behind Sam, the younger brother placing his satchel on the floor, slightly under the seat.

"Why'd you pick Dean's side, huh?" asked Rin, raising an eyebrow.

"Because he's shorter than Sam" Yukio said, pulling the car door shut. "And thus has his seat further forward. You're the shortest here, so you can fit behind Sam's chair."

Shutting his door, Rin shuffled in his seat a bit, looking at the distance behind the chairs. "Huh, you're right. I've never been the shortest in any situation before."

"I'd like it to remain that way" Dean said, driving the car out of the caryard and onto the road leading to the main city of Sioux Falls. Sam smirked a bit, but said nothing, as Dean reached for the radio and turned it on.

The song that happened to be playing was midway through, recognizable enough that Rin instantly made a choking noise and scrambled to turn it off, but Sam got there first, switching the channel with lightning speed.

"…what's wrong with Asia?" Dean asked, and Sam gave him an annoyed look.

"Bad memories" Sam replied, glancing back at Rin, who'd now slumped into the chair and was looking out the window. Yukio was doing the same, but his arms were folded and his mouth was pursed into a hard line.

Dean shrugged, glancing at the glove box. "Could you put Back in Black in for me?"

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes a bit, but the rules remained the same—driver picks the music, shotgun (and anyone else) shuts their cakehole. So Sam rifled through the compartment, pulling out the old cassette and sliding it into the player. Sam had put the tape in on side one, so 'Hell's Bells' began playing with its ominous tolling.


	6. A Knot in Time

A/N: Thank you all for the favs, follows, and reviews. Have to say I'm pretty floored at how many of you there are, given that this is a crossover.

Short Answer section: Shura will most likely show up. I'm interested in writing her interacting with Dean.

I'm liking how you are all viewing the story so far, though I hope my direction won't disappoint anyone.

* * *

VI: A Knot in Time

Rin chattered every now and then through the first hour as they drove out of Sioux Falls, while Yukio remained pensive and silent. It was nothing to amount to a proper conversation—more or less Rin commenting on the scenery and buildings, and how different it was to home.

Once they were on a long stretch of road, though, passing by expanses of pastures and trees, Yukio let out a long sigh and looked away from the window.

"We can all agree that, at some point, we were fictional to the others, right?" he asked, and Sam turned his head back.

"Mhm" agreed Dean, tapping his hand against the steering wheel. "You two in a manga, and us in a tv series, right?"

Yukio nodded, leaning back into the seat. "But everyone around us doesn't seem to remember that there was a tv series called Supernatural. And I've heard your names mentioned by other exorcists in legitimate discussions."

Sam blinked, nodding to himself. "And Bobby talks like he's knew your father for a long time, but up until a week ago you were just characters."

"But Bobby was getting files down for Fujimoto, wasn't he?"

Yukio nodded, and Rin rubbed his chin.

"What are you saying?"

"Sam and Dean aren't fictional anymore for us, and we're not fictional for them now, either. And it seems like it's not isolated, but to the point where nobody remembers either of us were fictional in the first place…except for the four people in this car."

"But Bobby knowing Fujimoto puts a wrench in the works" Sam mused. "Somehow he knew a fictional character as real before Dean even knew about you two. He said he got out the papers for Mephisto five months ago."

"So when the old man died" muttered Rin, folding his arms and scratching his head. "Does that mean he's been 'real' to Bobby for that whole time? It seems weird."

The car went quiet aside from Dean's music, all four thinking hard.

It was Dean who spoke up, his brow furrowed. "Hang on. I've been back for nearly a month."

"…Yeah, and?" Sam asked, before his eyes widened and his eyebrows went up. "Which means what happened with Lilith was five months ago."

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Rin said, leaning forward. "That's fucking nuts! There's no way!"

"Actually it sounds pretty viable" Sam murmured, shaking his head a bit. "And it's the only tie we have, though it still doesn't explain why Bobby 'knew' Fujimoto."

"Unless Mephisto used the moment Dean died. Decided he thought it was interesting enough to mess with" Yukio said, leaning his elbow on the ledge of the door and pressing his head against his hand. "And an exorcist's death at the same moment was how he decided to cross it over. Maybe Dean's death coinciding with our father's death was enough to create a hole, and it's spread from there."

"You're saying that like this Mephisto is capable of crossing two parallel universes" Sam said incredulously, and Dean grunted irritably.

"It's possible, Sammy. He's the King of Time and Space. Who knows what the extent of his powers actually is."

"He's the what?" Sam said, jaw slipping open.

"Samael, demon King of time and space" said Rin lazily, stretching and cracking his knuckles. "He's Satan's second eldest, I think. So uh, yeah."

"…Does that make him your brother?" Sam asked, and Rin made an annoyed noise and threw himself back into his seat.

"We don't talk about that" he muttered.

"…Fair enough" replied Sam, sitting back in his chair properly. "So Mephisto's behind all of this…well, if we had any intention of going to back to being fictional to one another, it just went down the drain."

"Yeah, pretty much" Dean agreed with a nod. "He's not a demon any of us are capable of handling. I don't think Ruby's knife would even work."

Dean grimaced as he said the name, as though he'd just eaten something bitter. Sam sighed, while the Okumuras didn't say anything, it was fairly clear they'd picked up the tension that had just settled on the older pair.

"So…you guys really couldn't see Castiel's wings?" Rin asked, trying to break the silence.

"Nope. I saw them on the wall when I first met him, but not any other time. Looks like a regular dude" Dean said. "Kinda nutty regular dude."

The older Okumura raised his eyebrows, before pouting out his bottom lip and scratching his chin. "Maybe they don't have spirit wounds."

"…I'm pretty sure we've been injured by a monster once or twice" Dean deadpanned, giving Rin a quick sideways glance.

"Yeah, but since we became real? Hmmm?"

"Refresh me on what a spirit wound is?" Sam queried, raising an eyebrow.

"A wound inflicted by a demon, or monster in your case I suppose. Once you have one you can see them from then on" said Yukio, who had returned to staring out the window and didn't turn his head toward the Winchesters this time.

"…_have_ we been injured this past week?" Dean asked, and Sam frowned, considering it for a moment.

"I don't think we have. But we can see…uh…"

"You can see Rin's physical traits without a spirit wound, if you're aware enough to look" Yukio murmured.

"Yeah—the only way to test it would be—"

Yukio kicked Rin with his foot from the other side of the car, only just hard enough to draw Rin's attention as Yukio gave him a look that was nothing short of a death glare.

"Don't you even think about it."

"I wasn't going to, four-eyes!" Rin snapped, looking just as pissed. "Do I look stupid?"

"Should I answer that or should I just glare?" Yukio hissed irritably, and Rin gave him a frustrated look but didn't reply. Eventually Yukio just sighed, turning his head back to face the window.

"So uh, Rin. Did you get the eye drops for Godaiin?" Dean asked hesitantly, and Rin instantly perked up.

"Yeah! Except he didn't end up using them, dammit. But hey, it's his choice" he finished with a shrug, leaning back into his seat, as Dean let out a heavy sigh. Sam gave him a confused look, and Dean silently replied with a look that said they'd discuss it later.

* * *

Just before night encroached, they happened upon a gas station and pulled up to refill. It was dingy, and quiet, on the edge of a small town without much of anything. It was familiar territory for the Winchesters but something that definitely wasn't for the Okumuras—while they had left True Cross Town once or twice, most of their trips had been short due to how often Fujimoto was away. It wasn't until Rin was finally informed of what had actually been going on that he realized exactly why that was.

After Dean had filled up and paid for the Impala's tank, he gave the two brothers what little hard cash he had and told them to grab something to eat and drink for all of them—they still had a fair way to go and it was going to have to be their dinner. Yukio didn't seemed fazed by having to pick up food from a gas station, but Rin looked a little more annoyed, probably because he usually cooked a decent meal for himself.

Once they'd headed into the store, Dean and Sam retreated behind the gas station, where the rays of the setting sun painted the dingy store in pink and gold.

"Ok, what was up in the car? Yukio seems pissed. Like, really pissed" Sam said, folding his arms and shifting his weight between his feet.

"The usual bullshit" Dean muttered, grimacing and his shoved his hands in the pockets. "The question I asked Rin was to check 'when' they're from, and from Rin's response, Yukio just went through a whole lotta crap. Like, the Vatican swearing him to silence with a demon contract that'll kill him if he blabs, and a nightmare where his brother said whatever's going on with him was a good thing kinda crap."

"…Ouch" said Sam, glancing back at the gas station windows, where Rin and Yukio were still browsing. "…details on the nightmare?"

"That's just it, too" Dean said, ground himself and hunching his shoulders a bit. "There's nothing to say whether it was or wasn't a nightmare. If it wasn't a nightmare, he somehow managed to end up back in his dorm with no clue how he got there."

"…Coulda been possessed?" Sam suggested, cocking his head. "Do they have the tattoos?"

"Tattoos weren't part of their world until a week ago, Sammy, and I doubt Rin could even get one. Be pretty hilarious if a tattoo magically showed up though."

Sam grimaced a little at that. "So it was just his brother saying the demon stuff is a good thing?"

"And generally asking about it. But the whole chapter was a god damn nightmare. To quote it roughly, the main thought was somethin' like 'is something eating at me, before too long it's so spread out it can't be undone, and by the time anyone realizes it's too late'."

Sam paled a bit at the quote, licking his bottom lip. "That's harsh."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Just thinking about that chapter gives me the heebie jeebies."

The gas station door tinkled, and a babble of arguing voices met their ears.

"Why can't they just get a portable stovetop and cook on that?"

"Are you listening to yourself right now?"

"I'm just saying that all this greasy bought food can't be good for them. Imagine if Dean was in the middle of a fight and keeled over from a heart attack from high cholesterol. Imagine how ridiculous that would be, Yukio."

"Rin, listen. They don't get a lot of creature comforts. They have to sleep in grimy questionable motel rooms with crappy coffee and insect infestations. Eating a sweet pie or a donut or a burrito after dealing with monsters and that kind of crap is probably the highlight of their day."

"Maybe I should start bringing them boxed lunches" Rin mused, and the Winchesters looked at each other incredulously.

"That's kind of adorable" Sam said. "He seems… genuinely concerned about what we're eating."

"Yeah, he probably is" said Dean, shrugging a bit. "He's that kinda guy."

Sam raised his eyebrows, as Dean headed back to the Impala to meet up with the other two, who had now stopped arguing and were almost at the car.

"How'd you go?" Dean asked, looking at the bags they had.

"Erm…some hot food from the warmer, bananas, bottles of water…" Rin said, looking into the bag. "Couple of protein bars and a blackberry pie."

The older Winchester's face instantly lit up and Sam chuckled almost incredulously. "You know about the pie."

"Of course we know about the pie" Yukio said, adjusting his glasses and smiling a little.

"Hey, don't give me any of the credit. You were the one who remembered, not me" said Rin, rifling through the bag and getting out a banana.

Dean almost looked like he was about to cry with pride, and Sam gave him a disbelieving look, before shaking his head. "Let's get moving before you insist on adopting them" Sam muttered, nudging his brother and stepping toward the passenger side door. Dean rolled his eyes, following suit and heading to the driver's side as the Okumuras also got in.

The Impala's engine revved to life and they pulled out of the gas station, Sam having taken ownership of the supply bag and sorting out dinner.

"Do you eat in the Impala often?" Rin asked, as Sam handed him one of the chiko rolls he'd bought. The gas station hadn't had a wide variety, but it was enough to keep going.

"Only on long trips" Sam explained, handing Yukio something else and grabbing himself out a sausage roll. "We can't really afford to stop and eat when the drive is this long, though sometimes we do anyway."

Dean nodded, pulling out another chiko roll for himself, being very careful as he bit it as to not drop crumbs everywhere. "Anyone get pastry anywhere and I'm throwing you in the first river I see" he said shortly, and Sam snorted a little, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I'd like to see how that would pan out" he muttered, pulling out a bottle of water.

They ate the rest of the meal mostly in silence, out of fear opening their mouths and dropping crumbs would invoke Dean's wrath. Once he was finished, Sam looked over to Dean.

"Do you want to pull over now and switch, or should I get some rest first?"

The older brother's brow furrowed in thought, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel before he sighed, switching on the indicator and pulling over onto the bitumen.

"Guess that's a yes" Sam said, looking a bit surprised but unbuckling his seat belt and getting out without asking any further questions. Dean also got out, walking around the back and pulling off his jacket before slipping into the passenger's side.

"Do you want me to wake you up?" Sam asked, buckling his seat belt.

"Don't worry about it" Dean replied stiffly, using the jacket as a blanket. "I'll wake up in my own time."

Sam raised an eyebrow, but ended up not saying anything again, pulling back out onto the road and glancing back at the Okumuras.

"You two should get some rest, as well."

"Alright" said Rin, stretching his arms above his head and yawning, immediately pulling off his jacket and snuggling into the corner of the Impala.

"You too" said Dean, looking around the chair at Yukio with a stern expression. The younger Okumura gave him a mildly frustrated glare before grimacing, putting his glasses in his pocket, folding his arms and closing his eyes.

Dean rolled his eyes upward, before indicating for Sam to keep an eye on him. He looked a little confused, but shrugged and nodded his head as Dean got comfy.

* * *

He'd agreed to switching over with Sam earlier than usual because he'd been feeling drowsy—it had been a long day, despite them not actually doing much, and his eyes itched with the need to sleep. Even though he already knew what was waiting behind his eyelids.

_Screams. Cries for help, for mercy, throats hoarse and bloody from desperation. Flickering lights of red and blacks and blues, burning and etched into his vision, along with those faces, mouthing and crying for him to stop, no, please, nonostopSTOPPLEASESTOPSTOPNOLEAVEMEALONESTOPNOPLEASE—_

He woke with a jolt, grunting and looking around in confusion for a second before he realized he were he was, still in the Impala, Sam tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and quietly humming to himself. He wasn't there. That wasn't him.

Not anymore, at least.

"Hey" he groaned, shifting a bit in his seat, and Sam looked over.

"Nightmares?" he asked, and Dean was thankful his jacket covered the wince.

"Yeah, usual stuff…" he said vaguely, yawning and averting his eyes, before looking into the back seat.

Rin was fast asleep, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his eyes half open, looking like something straight out of _The Exorcist. _The only dead giveaway he was asleep were the snores he was making every third or so breath, and just how deeply slumped into the chair he was.

Yukio, however, was awake, his eyes firmly plastered on a dark brown bound book and his face a mask of concentration.

"Did he sleep?" Dean asked, and Yukio huffed out of his nose as Sam nodded.

"Woke up about half an hour ago the same way you did" he said shortly, and Dean raised his eyebrows, glancing back at Yukio.

"If you tell me to go back to sleep I'm going to hit you with this book" he said quietly, turning the page and shifting in his seat a little.

Dean gave him an annoyed look, turning back to the front, grabbing two of the remaining bottles of water and the pie out of the bag and handing the water to Yukio.

The younger boy murmured 'thank you', unscrewing the cap and taking a long drink before putting the lid firmly back on and going back to reading.

"Are you really going to eat the pie first thing after waking up?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I'm not eating your damn bananas" Dean muttered, unwrapping the sweet pastry and sliding it out of the tray so he could have a bite. He'd had better, from the various actual cafes, diners and pit stops they'd eaten at over the course of their lives, but it definitely wasn't bad.

Dean ate in silence, consuming about half of the sweet before stowing it back in the bag. "Ok, time to switch" he said, looking at Sam, who nodded and pulled over. They repeated the earlier exchange, Dean sliding into the driver's seat and sliding the seat back forward as Sam made himself comfortable.

"We've still got a way to go" Dean said, looking at the time and mentally calculating how far they'd travelled in his head.

"Mm. Wake me up if you need to" Sam said, closing his eyes. Dean made an effort to still his usual ticks and movements, as he usually did when Sam was trying to get to sleep—although not above pranking his brother into waking up, Sam actually had a bit of difficulty falling asleep to begin with, even if he did sleep longer and heavier than Dean.

Maybe it was from the first few years, when Sam had lived in blissful ignorance and Dean had been his warden, his guardian, his protector. He'd had that ideology drilled into him by his father, that mindset of a soldier—he'd been taught to wake at the slightest thing out of place, a jump or a creak, and that had meant needing to be able to fall asleep whenever he had the chance. So sleep came easy. True rest? Dean hadn't started finding that until the sweet numbness of whiskey had become the substitute for a lullaby.

And even then, the hangovers were no picnic.

Dean glanced sideways, to Sam, whose breathing had slowed and was now snoring quietly. A quick look backward showed that Yukio had barely moved from the spot he'd been in when Dean had woken up, the only sign being a few less pages left of the book.

"When was the last time you got more than eight hours sleep, huh?" Dean asked, his voice a bit quieter than usual.

"When was the last time you did?" Yukio replied shortly, shifting his leg a bit.

The older man raised his eyebrows, breathing out his nose. "Yeah, but I'm not the one who's not an adult, here."

"Five months ago" Yukio sneered, sliding a book mark into the tome and snapping it shut. "Does that answer your question or do you want a detailed sleep schedule from the last five years?"

Dean grunted, taking a moment to rub his forehead, before pressing his head into the back of the seat. "Are you going to be like this while we're on the job, 'cause—"

"Dean" Yukio said, his tone sharp. "Do you really want to know why I'm uptight? Because it has nothing to do with my life back home."

"Well it'd certainly make me less annoyed about it" he huffed, and Yukio sighed.

"I have spent the last eight years of my life hiding the details of everything regarding what I do and who we are. I have lived in perpetual fear of the day that I might let slip our secret, and for a time that my_ brother_ may let it slip and the repercussions would be our deaths. My fear of that wasn't misplaced, and there's still a strong chance we're not going to live to see our twentieth birthdays. So, how am I supposed to react, when I know who you are and what you do, and now you know every secret and story we have to tell? What am I supposed to think, when I can't even comprehend why you haven't put a bullet in our heads?"

The older Winchester remained silent for a good few minutes, absorbing what Yukio had said and thinking about what would be the best thing to say. He doubted he could fully alleviate Yukio's worries—it was fair enough to be afraid. Dean didn't blame him in the slightest. But in saying that, the dichotomy of hunter and quarry was not one Dean wanted between himself and the Okumuras—the more time he spent with them as real, flesh and blood people, the stronger that feeling became.

"Did you maybe consider that us knowin' your story is why you're still alive?" Dean asked quietly, and Yukio's head snapped up, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Sure, I know things. A lot of things. There's a lot I don't, but there's a lot I do. And from that I decided that you two weren't people I wanted to kill. If I only knew the bad, then yeah, maybe you two would be on my list…but I don't only know the bad. And if you only knew the bad about me n' Sam, I'm sure it'd be the same deal, right? We ain't exactly done everything by the book. Hell, we had a group of ghosts show up a few weeks back preaching that to us and intent on ripping our hearts out for it. So…maybe you've got a bit of bad blood in you, maybe you weren't born under the best circumstances. And I sure as hell ain't the kid of any demon, but I know how that feels, and you've got enough shit in your life without getting it from us."

Dean drew in a deep breath after speaking, hoping he'd gotten his point across. He was not the most eloquent speaker, and his English teachers over the years had not skirted around that fact.

"…And Sam?"

"I didn't say I liked the power crap" Dean huffed. "I'll tell you right now I threw the damn manga across the room like four times over your brother's bullshit."

Dean barely refrained from adding "and your bullshit", because while the temptation was high, now was definitely not the right time to be bringing that up.

"…Thanks" Yukio murmured, looking out the window to the darkened sky. "Most people don't see it that way. It's easier to see someone for who they are upfront, and to most my brother's nothing more than a demonic delinquent."

"Rin's a good kid. This road trip alone is proof of that" Dean said. "He's just prone to bad decision making."

Yukio let out a breath through his nose, before pulling his jacket back up around him. "Bad decision making seems to be a trait we share" he said, his voice absent. "I guess we all do it, sometime or another."

The teen shrugged, pulling off his glasses again and curling up, as Dean swallowed thickly, focusing his eyes back onto the lonely road and the steady sound of the Impala's engine.


End file.
